Documentarian notes Proud Boys went to Capitol before Trump spoke
Documentarian Nick Quested, who followed the Proud Boys through Washington as members of the extremist group marched on the Capitol and clashed with law enforcement, noted in his testimony that the group headed to the Capitol long before Trump spoke on the Ellipse.
"The was a large contingent, more than I would expect, and I was confused to a certain extent while we were walking away from the president's speech, because that's when I felt we were there to cover," Quested said.
Chairman Bennie Thompson emphasized that point to argue the Jan. 6 attack was not purely spontaneous but a "coordinated plan" and the "culmination of a months-long effort spearheaded by President Trump."
"They were not there for President Trump's speech," Thompson said of the hundreds of Proud Boys who descended on Washington. "We know this because they left that area to march toward the Capitol before the speech began."